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A Canadian row over rent that goes back 150 years – BBC

by ahnationtalk onNovember 14, 201769 Views

On Treaty Day back in August, people from Nipissing First Nation were queueing to receive C$4 in cash.

Although it may not seem like much, the money is a symbol of the signing of the Robinson Huron Treaty – a landmark agreement between representatives of the Crown and the Ojibway people in 1850 that became a template for how Canada would draft agreements with indigenous people in the decades to come.

In the treaty, the government agreed to give the signatories and their descendents a yearly payment in exchange for sharing the land. This kind of agreement would become a template for future treaties across the country.

Today, there are about 70 treaties in Canada that represent about 500,000 people in 371 First Nations. Some include provisions for a yearly payment of C$4-5.